Current application-based exercise tracking systems comprise software systems designed to run on mobile and other computing devices. These software systems are extremely tedious to use, all requiring a user to undergo the lengthy process in which that user must: i) input whether the exercise is a cardiovascular or strength training exercise, ii) type or voice transcribe (using the device microphone) the exercise name, iii) search for the exercise, iv) select the appropriate exercise from a list of options, v) input the exercise time, distance and/or resistance quantity(ies), and then repeat for every exercise in the workout to be tracked.
Importantly, to demonstrate the gross inefficiency of the aforementioned application-based exercise tracking systems one simply needs to add up the current number of steps generally required of users in order to track a workout that consists of one cardio exercise and four strength training exercises that have three sets each. That number is generally between an astounding fifty and one-hundred steps, depending on the system and the variability in exercises and sets, repetitions and weight. This is burdensome and inconvenient which detracts from the use of such systems.
The arrival of wearable fitness tracking devices to the exercise tracking market has provided a significantly more efficient method for those looking to track very general fitness activity levels than that which is provided by the current art of application-based exercise tracking systems. However, wearable fitness tracking devices are grossly inadequate in terms of the comprehensiveness of exercise data they collect and users looking to track more specifics about their workouts and exercises must still rely on the aforementioned application-based exercise tracking systems.
It is desirable to provide systems and methods that address the foregoing and other problems with known approaches, and it is to this that the present invention is directed. For the sake of clarity, exercise tracking can be defined as the process of logging an individual user's exercises completed (e.g. walking, bench press, crunches, yoga, etc.), including the associated time, distance or resistance numeric quantity(ies) (e.g. 2, 10, 35, etc.), time, distance or resistance quantity unit(s) (e.g. miles, minutes, sets and repetitions, etc.) and calories burned data for each exercise.